English Dub Review: Sweet Reincarnation “The Flavor of Consolation: Tarte Tatin”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Squale is depressed about the results of his first deployment, so Pas decides to try preparing a dessert to cheer him up. His choice, the Tarte Tatin, is far from a random selection.

Our Take:
Pastry has successfully prevented Squale’s demise on the battlefield and won the fight against Lutoroute’s men. As a result, the scheming enemy of Hubareck is forced to retreat to avoid dealing with the Kadlececk family’s involvement. So, it looks like we’ll be seeing more of this character in the next season, depending on the success of season one. However, the real battle happens after the war, with Squale isolating himself following his near-death experience.
The season finale moves away from the formula of spending 23 minutes on a “final showdown” plot we’ve seen in other action-packed anime shows. Instead, it provides a subtle storyline involving post-war trauma and guilt, mainly for Squale. He’s deeply affected by him costing the lives of his men during his first deployment. As a result, Pastry decides to help Squale the same way he helped Marc, who was in a similar position in the third episode. The solution is making him a special dessert called the “Tarte Tatin”. For those into food knowledge, this French dessert is a pastry named after the Tatin sisters, who invented the dish, in which the fruit is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. I haven’t tried it before, but the way this dessert looks in the episode puts me in the mood to give it a shot sooner or later.
Of course, the Tarte Tatin isn’t just for show. Pastry chose the recipe because it was initially created by mistake but became successful anyway due to their adapting to the sisters’s oversight. It resembles Squale’s recent actions on the battlefield, as he made several mistakes during his first time in the war but managed to survive and return to Petra safely. This uplifting moment emphasizes the show’s depiction of food as a crucial ingredient of everyday life, especially when made to spread happiness. More importantly, it showcases the importance of moving forward even in the face of failure.
Pastry’s generosity toward helping Squale resulted in him finally gaining the supplies needed for his cooking, including the goats originally sent to Lunzvage and the wine press. After a quick shopping trip to buy Licorice a dress for her trip to the Royal Capital, Pastry made her a cheesecake he promised. Unsurprisingly, it’s a happy ending for everyone, including Pastry, who now has a variety of supplies to experiment with, including the different types of fruit. Well, almost everyone, as Lutoroute and Lunzvage might be scheming to get back at the young sweetmaker for foiling their plans, which might play a role in a possible season two.
Overall, the season finale might be the sweetest episode the season had to offer. It’s not just because of Pastry proving that food can bring out happiness in people and its food education. It’s also because of its depiction of Squale’s post-war depression. It’s not the best depiction of this mature topic I’ve seen from an anime, but it works in generating a sweet sense of joy and warmth in my heart. Despite some of the show’s shortcomings that I’ll explain in my season review, I enjoyed its flavor well enough to look forward to what Pastry will cook up next in season two.